When Betty Goldstein of Staten Island, New York, entered the hospital, her husband Ron wrapped her 3.5 carat diamond ring in a napkin for safekeeping. But in a forgetful moment, the 63 year old Goldstein threw the napkin in the trash. When he realized his mistake, he dashed outside, only to see the garbage truck rumbling down the street. So he called the local sanitation department and got permission to follow the truck to a transfer station. Workers began sorting through hundreds of garbage bags and recovered the ring an hour later.

I’ve done my share of “dumpster diving” and “trash sorting” in search of lost keys, cell phones, missing checks, and even eye glasses. Perhaps my worst experience was going through three bags of trash at McDonald’s in search of my daughter’s retainer when she wore braces. When we lose stuff- especially valuable stuff, we go searching.

The writer of Proverbs urges us to go searching for the rare gem of wisdom. Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. (Proverbs 3: 13-14). In Chapter two a father urges a son to look for it as one would “search for hidden treasure.” (Proverbs 2:4)

If you study this passage closely you discover that this wisdom is found only in a relationship with God himself. In the New Testament Jesus tells a story about a merchant who found a pearl of great value. When he finds it he goes and sells everything he has in order to purchase it. It’s that important. (Read Matthew 13: 44-46)​The point of Jesus’ story is that finding the kingdom of heaven and a relationship with Him is worth everything. Many spend their lives searching the trash dumps of this world looking for trinkets they think will make them happy, while ignoring the pearl of great price. The truth is when you find Jesus, everything else pales in comparison.